The land of the Renegades: A new generation

Chapter 11

  In those moments I cared too little for myths and legends and that mission. All I could think about was how I would react when I met Caleb.

  Lately I had no contact with him, I only saw him once a day, passing by.

  I had mentally distanced myself from him and I was better.

  However, what if my feelings come back when I talk to him? What if all my progress will be lost?

   I was lost in my thoughts and couldn't hear Caty anymore. She noticed, and at one point she put her hand on my shoulder, which woke me up to reality:

  -Hey, you don't have to be afraid. We'll all be there, we'll protect each other. The plan is a very good one, I don't think we will fail.

  If that was the evening of  confessions, I thought of going all the way and told her about my real fear:

  - That's not what I'm afraid of. I don't know how I'll react when I'll meet Caleb. All this madness has blown me away. I've barely recovered, I don't want to be the same again.

  -Honey, everything happens for a reason. Nothing is accidental! You will find out all the answers you are looking for, but at the right time.

  -If you knew something, you would tell me, right?

  -There are certain things that I or anyone else cannot tell you. You have to discover them yourself. All I can tell you is that you don't have to hate Caleb, he only wants the best for you, even if he shows it in strange ways. You started a completely new life, we all understand you and we are by your side. Remember this! Now get some rest, first thing tomorrow we will gather in Caleb's office.

  Of course I couldn't sleep. I can't even remember the last time I slept all the night!

  I managed to sleep for about three hours. It wasn't enough, but it was enough for me to keep me alive.

  Around five o'clock, I got coffee and went to the office. I remembered what Caty said, that we were all going to gather there, so I got four coffees, for everyone.

  Surprisingly, it didn't take an hour for Caleb to make his appearance. It wasn't exactly what I wanted, but I should have expected that since I went to his office so early.

  Maybe my subconscious is pushing me to do this. Maybe deep down it was what I wanted, but I wasn't aware of it.

  On the way to the chair in front of the desk he gave me a "Good morning!" vaguely, and I answered in the same tone. He pulled a cup of coffee in front of him and plunged his nose into the papers on his desk.

  Without looking up, however, the conversation began:

  -Caty told me she told you about our plan.

  - Not really, she told me in general what it is about but we didn't discuss the details. She told me that we will discuss all these details today, all of us.

  - Well, Karina already knows, so I'll tell you now until they come too. There is a very powerful weapon, perhaps the most powerful in the world.

  Rumors say that Lilith, the world's first vampire, once fell in love with a fairy. Of course their love was forbidden and they could not show off together in front of other creatures. This man's love for Lilith was so great that he created a necklace for her with his own light.

  It is said that he lost his powers and remained a normal human, aging much faster than the other fairies. After he died, Lilith found it more and more difficult to keep the necklace so she hid it…

  While I was listening to Caleb, I kept looking at him, but he didn't look up for even a moment. My heart was beating faster and faster, almost jumping out of my chest. At one point, involuntarily, I interrupted him:

  -Why aren't you looking at me?

  Then he looked up and I became more and more confused. His face showed pain, love, and when we made eye contact for the first time in a long time, it was as if he had seen a ghost. It was clear that he also wanted to hug me, kiss me, but he was trying to control himself.

  -Why are you doing this? I continued. Why are you ignoring me? Why are you hiding? I can see in your eyes that you care about me too.

  -I think you just answered your own question. I was in the middle of a very important conversation and you are preoccupied with other things. We have a lot of things to do, much more important and we don't need to be distracted by anything else.

  He was right, somehow. Maybe after all this madness we can be together. He looked down at those papers again and continued to say to me:

  -As I said, the necklace contains pure fairy light, which cannot be given to us directly by the fairies. If it gets into the hands of the Council, they can break the barrier. That is why it is very important that we get to him first. The plan is this: we will use a basilisk, the last survivor, which can be a very important weapon.

  -What is a basilisk?

  At that moment he opened a book and pointed it at me. On the left page was a sketching of a hideous creature with the body of a giant turtle and the head of a rooster. He had a tiny crown on his head and I wondered if that was what he looked like in real life or just in the drawing. On the right page was written the legend of this mythical creature: these creatures were kind of pets for demons.

   From time to time they were sent to Earth to collect the souls of evil people. These creatures could only kill with their gaze or the venom of their bite.

  Once upon a time, demons were very thirsty for people's souls, so all these creatures were sent to Earth and terrified people. That is until these people made a plan, caught the evil creatures and wanted to execute them in front of the people, to prove to the world that the period of fear is over.

  These creatures stood in front of the crowd with their eyes gouged out and bound with chains, but somehow one of them managed to escape and ran away.

  Since then he has been hiding and no one has found him. It is said to be in the desert, in one of the pyramids, but this was thought to be a myth, as all the pyramids were looted by thieves or treasure hunters, and no one said a word about any monstrous eyeless creature that hides there.

  After I finished reading, I handed the book back to Caleb:

  -Are you going to go look for a creature we're not even sure exists? I asked, with sarcasm in my voice.

  - This is exactly what we will do! If one legend is true, chances are all are true. And if so, I'm not risking the lives of everyone in this Brotherhood just because I don't want to believe it. We have nothing to lose by trying.

  At that moment, the two girls, Caty and Karina, had also appeared. With a smile on their face they wished us "Good morning!" and headed towards us.

  -Ah, coffee! Caty exclaimed. You are very nice.

  -Eva brought for everyone, said Caleb. She came here very early. By the way, you told me you let her know about our plan, she wasn't actually aware of anything.

  -You know I can't explain it better than you, I told her only what it was about, Caty said on the way to the microwave oven, with a cup of coffee in her hand.

  -Okay, that's not what matters. The important thing is that she knows now.

  -Do you have any idea where this necklace is? I joined the conversation.

  - That's the hard part, Caleb answers. It is in one of the seven kingdoms of hell. You and Karina have some influence over the demons, so we need your help. Until then we have to find the basilisk. If we can't convince them somehow, we can give them that creature in exchange for the necklace.

  -What makes you think a monstrous creature is as precious to them, or more important than such a powerful artifact? Caty asked, slightly amused.

  - Well, think about it: you told me that a few years ago you had a puppy that died and you would do anything to bring it back. Think what this basilisk means to them. Except, apparently, it's more than just a pet.